Afghan Biographies

Khan, Haji Juma

Name

Khan, Haji Juma

Ethnic backgr.

Baloch

Date of birth

1955

Function/Grade

Major Afghan Druglord

History and Biodata

3. Biodata: Haji Juma Khan, a/k/a Abdullah or Haji Juma Khan Mohammad Hasni was born 1955 in Kandahar Province. He is an ethnic Baluch. He is among the first defendants to be prosecuted under the 2006 federal narco-terrorism statute. Haji Juma Khan, is the “Pablo Escobar of South Asia. Mr. Khan’s network ran a string of heroin labs in the mountainous area where the borders of Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iran merge. He had built huge underground storage bunkers in remote deserts for his product. He came to the attention of Western law enforcement officials for sending drug convoys made up of dozens of S.U.V.’s packed with narcotics, which were then unloaded onto ships along Pakistan’s southern coast. Khan was arrested and extradited to the United States. He is now jailed at New York City’s Metropolitan Correctional Center, awaiting trial on charges of conspiracy to distribute narcotics with intent to support a terrorist organization.

His capture was a major, if little noticed, victory in the war on drugs in Afghanistan, although contacts in Quetta tell me his relatives are keeping the network going strong. Other Major Afghan Druglords: Haji Bashir Noorzai ( arrested 2005 in USA), Haji Baz Mohammad, Haji Bajko. Fifty alleged Afghan drug traffickers with suspected ties to the Taliban have been placed on a Pentagon list of people targeted for elimination, according to The New York Times (20090810).